UNMIK ON AIR

JOURNALISTS IN KOSOVO

By Zoran CULAFIC

SLUG: Professional journalists, regardless of their ethnic origin, bridge the gaps between divided communities in Kosovo, demonstrating how people in the region could live and work together.

According to the International Committee to Protect Journalists, 36 journalists have been killed globally- while on assignment, in 2003. This as 12 murder cases currently investigated by law enforcement are officially unsolved. 2003 was the worst year in the last decade for journalists who covered events in crisis regions and war zones.

Hello and welcome this is UNMIK on Air.

Even as these statistics present a grim picture for journalists, last year there was not a single murder case among journalists working in Kosovo. However, being a journalist in Kosovo today, as well as in the whole area of the Balkans, is not an easy nor pleasant job as organized crime has taken root and as the region is recovering from nearly a decade of war.

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In journalist circles of Pristina and Mitrovica, there are a number of professionals who managed to preserve their journalistic integrity. In this program, UNMIK on Air talked to Serbian and Albanian journalists who work with BBC and Reuters in Pristina and Mitrovica as well as two journalists working in multi-ethnic radio stations which broadcast in Albanian and Serbian.

As the last decade of armed conflict has heightened tensions between Serb and Albanian communities in Kosovo, it seems that ethnic origin is of little concern to these writers and broadcast professionals. You are either a journalist, or simply you are not, says, Zorka Djukanovic, as BBC Serbian correspondent from Kosovo.

CUT 1 Zorka_1 – I would like to say that journalists in Kosovo, both Serb and Albanian colleagues, are pioneers of multiethnic cooperation. Some four-five years ago, in the time when it was inconceivable to see a Serb and an Albanian meeting each other and talking about any issue, perhaps they were smugglers; journalists were the only ones who did maintain contacts and exchange of information. I can freely say – we have extraordinarily decent relations among our colleagues.

Even as cooperation exists amongst journalists from different backgrounds, this contrasts dramatically to the pressure these individuals face from their own communities and politicians. Much of the leadership in current political parties of these fragile democratic societies in the Balkans expect journalists to write exactly what they want to hear. A Serbian Reuter’s correspondent from Mitrovica, Branislav Krstic describes:

CUT 2 Bane_1 – I’m quite sure there is pressure, but this pressure only sways those who are not real journalists, or those who are made of, one can say, softer material. Politicians find that out sooner or later and then it’s very simple – they call you to hand over some so-called information or news, which represent their political agenda and demand it to be published. Most often beginning journalists consider this information to be quite enough if a certain political authority tells it to you, and you are obliged to publish it without verifying the facts. However serious journalists are checking such information through different sources and often do not publish the material because it turns out to be a fake. The politicians notice that and stop bothering such journalists any more.

Journalists in Kosovo and around the region are faced with many obstacles while on the job. One of the problems is a low salary- an average of 200 to 300 euros a month. The majority of journalists are forced to moonlight as freelancers with three, and for some, as many as five newspapers agencies, radio or TV stations to simply make ends meet.

But it is not just this economic reality which deters many from working as journalists- the political situation outside of news bureaus, in the field thanks to the last 10 years of conflict, have demonstrated that a journalist’s life can be cheap.

Valentina Cukic, Contact Plus Radio Director in north Mitrovica survived a failed assassination attempt and says many journalists have been intimidated:

CUT - Three persons shot at me in June of 2000 in the center of Pristina. it happened around 8.00 pm in the center of Pristina and to date these attackers have not been identified, neither the motive for the attack. At that moment I was scared for my life, but I did not want to escape or run from Kosovo, because I wanted to continue my work in north Mitrovica. That was my choice. In any case, to be a journalist in that time in Kosovo was very difficult- to be a Serb journalist in Pristina at that time was very difficult, as difficult as for alll Serbs left in Pristina at that time.

Cukic adds that although today the situation for journalists is much better, too many still face pressure and intimidation. For example, in Mitrovica Serb journalists cannot walk freely in the southern part of the city, nor can Albanian journalists go freely in the north of the city.

Fatmir Sheholi, is the director of the Pristina based multiethnic-- Contact Radio—which has broadcast its programming in Albanian, Serbian, Bosniack and Turk since 1999:

CUT – That fact that journalism is a difficult job is proven by the case of my colleague Valentina Cukic who was wounded in that period-- luckily she survived. I consider it an attack not only at Valentina Cukic, a Serb, but rather on professional journalism as a whole-- It was at that time and still is today the sentiment of Contact Radio. And it was not an isolated case. To date, we have no information about the fate of Contact Radio and Blue Sky Radio journalist Marijan Melonashi, who went missing years ago. Journalism in Kosovo at that time: 1999, 2000 and 2001, even 2002 was an extraordinarily hard profession to undertake and even harder if you wanted to push the multiethnic concept as Contact Radio did and still is doing today.

Shaban Buza, the Albanian Reuters’ correspondent in Pristina acknowledges that working conditions for journalists are much better now than a few years ago, but even so, Buza says too many journalists ask soft questions:

CUT 3 Shaban - The working conditions of journalists are not that bad especially in the last 2-3 years, since every editorial office is trying to improve working conditions. I think that journalists should become more professional and agile, if I can say so, in their questions and efforts to get more information from UNMIK and KFOR. Concerning the relations between journalists I think that they are good and friendly.

Much like her Serbian counterpart, Buza says the cooperation between Serbian and Albanian journalists in Pristina and Mitrovica is at a respectable level. It is an everyday practice that Serb journalists call upon Albanian colleagues to verify facts and share information, and vice versa. Buza also says that very often Serb and Albanian journalists travel together in mono-ethnic areas while covering stories.

Even as many journalists can bridge the ethnic divide which separates many communities in Kosovo, not all journalists are alike. Zorka Djukanovic, a Serbian BBC correspondent told UNMIK on Air that her experience with Albanian colleagues in Pristina and Mitrovica have not been the same- saying that she finds not all Serbian and Albanian journalists to be professionals:

CUT 4 Zorka_2 – As for me, I have extraordinarily good cooperation with some Albanians colleagues. Of course, this is not the case with all journalists- With some of the journalists I don’t have any relations with them, not because they are Albanians, but because I don’t consider these individuals to be professionals. The information I get from them is not accurate enough for me. So, if we talk about professionalism I think that there is no room at all for any question of being a Serb or an Albanian. We respect each other as much as we consider the other to be professional.

Violeta Hyseni works with the Albanian section of the BBC in Pristina and she agrees with her colleague Zorka Djukanovic saying not all journalists are professionals. Hyseni says sometimes the lack of professionalism raises interethnic tensions:

CUT 5 Violeta - Concerning professionalism among the journalists here I think that there are medias that are quite professional and accurate in their work, but that’s not the case with all medias. I think that there is room for criticism since there are medias which take sides in political situations and there are medias that are rather extreme even in interethnic relations in Kosovo.

The problem with professionalism is across the board and according to the Serbian Reuters correspondent, Bronislav Krstic, few local media outlets in the region promote quality journalism:

CUT 6 Bane_3 - Reporting professionally – I have to be frank, it means here in Kosovo to work with BBC or with Reuters … and say, Voice of America. These media are such that don’t allow you to make any mistake. In the local field, we could say that B92 is in some way professional, I say in some way, because their correspondents here in Kosovo are quite a different quality. As for the other media, I have to say that it is quite unbelievable and incomprehensible that Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) correspondents in Kosovo are so unprofessional, so unqualified, and I’m quite disappointed. The same refers to some Albanian media here, that accept to be manipulated and used in political games, most often in pre-election campaigns. I think that OSCE or whoever is responsible for media monitoring should react and stop such behavior.

As parliamentary elections near, the media in Kosovo will be faced with new challenges in reporting. Journalists like the ones who spoke to UNMIK on Air urge media regulatory authorities to hold media outlets and journalists in Kosovo accountable to assure balanced coverage without fear of reprisals.

That was all for this edition of UNMIK on Air, thanks for listening and stay tuned for more…..